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General Assembly leaders said yesterday that they are weighing a menu of tax increases and deeper program cuts to transform a stop-gap budget fix proposed by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. into a permanent solution. Lawmakers learned that the budget Ehrlich drafted for next year relies on money from a higher number of slot machines than many are comfortable with, and leaves a projected shortfall of up to $700 million the next year. After their first detailed look at the governor's proposal released last week, top legislators said yesterday that they will aim to balance the state's books for next year and the year after that. "We intend to do it," said Del. Howard P. Rawlings...

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General Assembly leaders said yesterday that they are weighing a menu of tax increases and deeper program cuts to transform a stop-gap budget fix proposed by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. into a permanent solution.
Lawmakers learned that the budget Ehrlich...

Top legislators expressed growing doubts yesterday that they could count on gambling revenue from Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s plan for slot machines at racetracks to close next year's budget gap.
The chairmen of the General Assembly's budget committees...

In a stinging rebuke to Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., the Senate Executive Nominations Committee voted last night to reject his choice for environmental secretary, Lynn Y. Buhl.
The decision marks the first time since Maryland's modern government was...

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s embattled nominee to head the Department of the Environment vowed yesterday to take her case to the full Senate - and the public - as administration officials accused legislative leaders of bringing partisanship to new lows....

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. unveiled a sweeping overhaul of his slot machines legislation last night that would cut the share of proceeds going to education by 20 percentage points and roughly double the total allotted to racetrack owners.
The...

With time for compromise slipping away, the Maryland Senate adopted a budget last night that relies on slot-machine gambling and higher taxes on properties, corporations and health insurance policies to pull the state through the coming year.
The...

House Speaker Michael E. Busch rebuffed Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s revised gambling plan yesterday, saying the House of Delegates should not approve slot machines without a full remedy to state budget problems that would include raising taxes.
...

First in a series of occasional articles.
One of the most powerful people in this town is so boring you could fall asleep listening to him talk about his work. That's when he unleashes his dry sense of humor, finding new ways to say things to keep...

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said yesterday that his plan to legalize slot machine gambling would generate almost $900 million a year for the state within four years, providing nearly 70 percent of the money needed to pay for a landmark public schools...

As the General Assembly opened public debate this week on expanding legalized gambling, the man whose family has been the face of Maryland horse racing for decades was noticeably missing. And if slots supporters have their way, racing executive Joseph...